Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Girls

"It's like, everybody has a band. It's this thing people do because they think they're supposed to do it, because they want to get chicks or think they're cool. It's not about that for me. It's about finding a reason to live."-Christopher Owens

I often yawn when I hear about an up and coming band or artist being labeled as "the next big thing" before their record is even released because a)the term is often overused and b)I'm usually left disappointed amid all the hype. Gimmickry is typically all you need to build a buzz around a band and gimmicks are a dime a dozen. Backstory, on the other hand, is much harder to come by and, I must admit, it is something that gets my attention every time. The latest "next big thing" is a San Francisco band by the name of Girls whose lead singer, Christopher Owens, has one of the more hellacious backstories in music.

Christopher Owens was brought up in a religious cult called the Children of God. Having a regular job was prohibited by the Children of God so the cult's leader, David Berg, simply prostituted the women of the cult, including Owens' mother, in order to raise money...for god, of course. In the upcoming October issue of Spin magazine, Owens claims that he was in the room "plenty of times" while his mother was engaged in the act of prostitution. Needless to say, the guy has some issues he's working out and he's doing it through the best channel there is - music. May you find solace in your creativity.